What If Chapter 1
by Shirokaze2012
Summary: first submission :3 WOOT! im a better artist than i am a writer btw check out my art at DA! - http://shirokaze2012./ this story is going a diffrent direction than ANYTHING you may be thinking :3 so say hi and welcome me here please :3


**Chapter 1 **

**Shadow watched the seconds tick by as he sat in his empty apartment. It was a run down dump that did no more than provide the old hedgehog a place to call a shelter. Although it wasn't much of one, the leaky roof and terrible draft said other.**

**The small empty room creaked and then shuddered as thunder rattled the skies. Shadow had just gotten off work. Apparently saving the word under Sonic's massive veil of fame meant rent was not free. He worked for a small pizzeria with its new slogan "five minutes or less, or it's free!" Shadow's chaos control cut the time it took for the pizza to cook and get to the customer drastically. **

**Shadow's thoughts were broken up as a big bang on the door followed by the surprised gasps of the neighbors. Sonic was at the door. There was no mistaking it. Shadow got up off the hard wooden floor and went to answer the door.**

"**Hi Sonic." he said reluctantly.**

"**What's up Shadow?! I thought I'd NEVER find ya!" Sonic said grinning.**

"**What do you want?"**

"**Oh I just thought I'd stop by, say hi, and ask if you had any plans for tonight. It is Friday after all." sonic said as shadow looked back at the empty room.**

"**No. I don't."**

"**Shadow, you know you're welcome at my place."**

"**I'd rather not…now what exactly were you planning for tonight?"**

"**Tails plans on testing the S-Orb feature on the Hyper Tornado, but after that we were thinking of maybe playing some video games."**

**Shadow stood at the threshold of the small apartment; expressionless. He wasn't in the mood to be running around with his rivals. It wasn't to his interests.**

"**I might join you for Tails testing that S-Orb thing of his." Shadow said trailing off.**

"**Oh C'mon Shadow! Don't be so boring, it'll be fun." Sonic said with a wide smile on his face.**

**Shadow gave a heavy sigh and followed Sonic away from the run-down apartment**

*********

**Shadow chased after Sonic, trying to keep up. Sonic had gotten significantly faster since the time they first raced on Space Colony ARK, and now Shadow struggled to keep pace at about mach four. He occasionally slowed to rest and used chaos control to catch back up. Eventually Shadow could no longer keep up with Sonic.**

"**SCREW THIS! I'm gonna just warp there!" he shouted trying not to sound exhausted. Sonic glanced back and nodded.**

"**Fine! Fine! I knew you couldn't keep up faker." Sonic laughed as he sped up "See you there in a few minutes then." Sonic said.**

**Shadow had disappeared from sight. The chaos control took only a moment before he was stepping on the tiles inside Tails' workshop**

"**Sonic told me you were working on that S-Orb thing."**

"**WAAH!!! When did you get here?!" Tails said taken off-guard.**

"**About two seconds ago."**

"**Oh sorry…I'm just a little jumpy right now, so where's Sonic?"**

**Shadow counted down from three and then pointed at the door.**

"**Hey guys! What's up?" Sonic said bursting through the doorway and came to a screeching halt. He had left a skid mark from the door mid-way into the room and tails sighed.**

"**I just buffed out last week's skid marks, think you could slow down before you get here?" Tails moaned as Sonic hopped up on the Hyper Tornado.**

"**So you gonna show us that S-Orb buddy? Sonic smiled.**

"**Yeah, I just finished re-modifying it; it's ready to be tested now." Tails said jumping into the plane's cockpit.**

"**Sonic, Shadow. I need you on the wings for this."**

**Sonic laid out across the wing and gripped the front edge of it. Normally he would stand up on the wing, but knowing the Hyper was still a proto-type the torque during take off would send him flying backwards off the wing. Shadow was next onto the plane he held on with his right hand firmly gripped to the front edge and his knees slightly bent as if he were getting ready to dash forward.**

"**Show off." Sonic grinned.**

**Eggman's aircrafts were a lot worse and jerked back harder in their take-offs. He was used to faulty aircrafts by now.**

**Tails started the countdown from five.**

"**Five…Four…Three…Two…One…LAUNCH!" Tails shouted as he pushed the plane into drive and as Sonic predicted, the plane jerked back before rocketing down the run-way.**

**Shadow had been taken slightly off-guard and wobbled backwards. Sonic was laughing in the background as the two hedgehogs rose to their feet.**

"**Thought you could hold on Shadow." Sonic chuckled as Shadow growled; ears slightly turned back. **

"**OK! Let the Hyper Tornado reach the target altitude and I'll launch the S-Orb." Tails said pulling up sharply.**

**In unison the two hedgehogs bent forward as the plane flew almost completely vertical.**

"**What's the destination?" Shadow glanced at the darkening skies as they exited the earth's atmosphere.**

"**High up, about the distance of The ARK." Tails trailed off as he said the ARK. Shadow stared forward avoiding the obvious memories associated with that place. **

**There was a long silence before the other two dared speak.**

"**We've reached our spot guys! I'll be turning on the S-Orb momentarily so get ready." Tails said.**

**Sonic and Shadow braced themselves, they weren't entirely sure what the S-Orb was and what exactly it did.**

**Tails flipped the switched and the plane stalled for a moment before it vibrated violently, scattering energy outward. The energy stopped at a point forming an orb around the Hyper Tornado. When the orb completed itself with in moments the energy still radiating from the plane pooled up inside.**

"**WHOA! Energy surge!" Sonic exclaimed as his fur turned from its normal blue to a yellow gold as did Shadow's**

"**The S-Orb is a high powered and nearly invincible shield. It is also a power booster. Your strength is no where near that of power from the chaos emeralds but it is enough to fly around and beat the crap out of enemies within its walls." Tails announced to Sonic and Shadow who had leapt from the Hyper Tornado's wings and were the outer edges of the orb.**

"**HEY SHADOW! Wanna fight?!" Sonic said speeding toward the red-striped hedgehog. Shadow had no time to answer before Sonic had hit him dead on and he was sent flying.**

"**GUYS!! THAT'S NOT A GOOD IDEA!!! THE S-ORB IS STILL A PROTO-TYPE!!!!" Tails screamed at the top of his lungs in terror. Before Sonic could hear his friend's desperate plea he had already slammed into Shadow a second time and sent him flying in the direction of the Hyper Tornado. Shadow crashed into the side of the aircraft. In an instant the orb's energy retracted back to the source. The receding energy spiked around the sight of impact Shadow had made. The energy become a strong electrical current that rippled through out the entire plane, knocking both Shadow and Tails unconscious. A few short moments passed before the Hyper Tornado had heated up and exploded. The scattered parts fell to earth as Sonic remained still; mortified.**

**Shadow had woken up in a dark lifeless void unsure of what had just happened.**

"**What is this place? Where am I? Am I d-dead?" he said almost panicked. He remained still for several seconds before trying to explore the darkness. The instant he moved an image appeared. It was one of fimilarness.**

"**Is that me? And, and MARIA?!" Shadow stared as he watched himself run down the corridor with Maria in the Space Colony; chased by G.U.N soldiers. They came to a stop and turned to face their pursuers. The image began to fade and it was no longer visible. After a split second of nothing the sound of a gun fired; echoing in the darkness, followed by an ear splitting scream…**


End file.
